


One of those Days

by Shadoow (Chikita)



Series: Haikyuu Omo Stuff (English) [8]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Desperation, Fluffy Ending, Gen, Hinata and Kenma are video game buddies, Omorashi, Pee, Social Anxiety
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-08-20 21:16:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20234509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chikita/pseuds/Shadoow
Summary: Distracted by a new video game, Kenma forgets to use the bathroom before a practice match against Karasuno. With bad luck on his side and his anxiety making everything worse, someone has to come to his rescue.





	One of those Days

**Author's Note:**

> First time writing Kenma omo. He doesn't deserve what I'm doing to him (send help!). The idea for this was half part stolen (with permission, credit where credit is due, greetings :P), half made up by my weird mind. Canon divergent because I ignored the training camps.
> 
> I usually don't write Kenma as having social anxiety (only introverted), but it worked too well for this to not include it. Also, a minor character from the manga gets a cameo. Yes, it's that guy.
> 
> Warning for omo as always. Read the tags, please.
> 
> My grammarly broke when I was spellchecking this so I hope I didn't make too many mistakes.

It had been one of those days again. Of course, whenever Kenma got a new video game and wanted to spend the following weeks doing nothing but immerse himself in the game's universe, something had to come in between. Math tests, homework, doctors' appointments, chores at home, the list was endless. And today, it just had to be a practice match against their sworn rivals Karasuno.

"Hey, Kenma! I know that game's exciting but I highly doubt it's exciting enough for you to miss the “real” game," Kuroo said, tapping his shoulder lightly. Kenma looked up from his portable playstation and grimaced, as Kuroo smirked at him. The changing room was empty save for the two of them and Kenma was still wearing the same sweatpants he had put on after leaving home in the morning. His volleyball shoes were neatly tucked into his sports bag and...well, Kuroo had a point. As much as he hated being distracted from his progression in the game's story mode, it was rude to let other the others wait for him any longer than necessary. After all, they were a team and he couldn't just slack off whenever he wanted to. That was one of the most annoying parts of being a club member.

Sighing loudly, he saved his game, hoped that he wouldn't have too much trouble getting back into the quest he'd started, and buried the game console under a pile of towels inside his bag. After that one incident with Lev accidentally deleting his save file, he wasn't just going to leave it lying out in the open again. It certainly wasn't worth the heartbreak.

He figured that he was just going to play volleyball like he usually did and get it over quickly, so he could go back to his game. But of course, on one of _those_ days, things never went that smoothly. Kenma was painfully reminded of that fact when he had to bend down to pick up his shoes and as if on command, a heavy pang shot through his lower abdomen, indicating that his bladder was full. Very full to be honest. _Now of all times._

It shouldn't be a surprise to him, after all, he had already felt the urge after the team’s arrival at the train station in Tokyo. Accepting the large cup of soda Kuroo had forced into his hands back then, telling him to drink it because "You look like you're withering away, what the hell, Kenma?" had probably been a bad idea. Just like refusing to use the restroom at the station, that gave him panic attacks when just thinking about how crowded it likely was. But the worst offenders were probably the energy drinks through the day, he needed to stay awake after doing… important things until 3 pm in the morning. _Oof._

"Stomachache?", Kuroo asked as they were out of the changing room and walking towards the main part of the gym where the match would be held at, "I bet you had apple pie for breakfast again, didn't you?" Kenma made a face at him.

"No apple pie," he said, frowning at the frustration welling up inside him and continued in a quieter tone as the...different kind of ache grew more prominent, "Energy drinks. _Too many_ energy drinks." But at this point, they were so close to the others that the noises inside the gym managed to drown out his muttering. Kuroo just smiled at him, peacefully unaware of his friend's plight.

A part of Kenma wanted to speak up about what was _really_ bothering him because he felt his bladder throb with every step, now that he was aware of its fullness and not distracted by quests, puzzles, and fierce boss battles. But as soon as he and Kuroo stepped through the entrance of the gym, all eyes were on them instantly. Even Yamamoto and the wing spiker from Karasuno, who looked like the other's twin, just without the mohawk, stopped yelling at each other for a second to pay attention to the players who had been missing until now.

It was awfully quiet in a way, that made Kenma's stomach turn. Being the center of attention with everyone _staring_ at him was the worst. But fortunately, it didn’t last long because a certain someone decided for a welcomed change in the atmosphere.

"Hey, Kenma!", Shouyou greeted him with a wave of his arm and Kenma couldn't help but smile weakly and wave back, despite how uncomfortable he felt, "Ready to see our new quick today? We won't go easy on you!" Kenma actually remembered him mentioning something like that when they were playing his favorite MMORPG together, but at the time, he had been more focused on beating the boss without his character dying for the twentieth time. Shouyou wasn't bad at video games, the role of the healer just simply didn't fit his playing style. But then again, he always found a way to make it work.

"You okay?", Kuroo asked then, loud enough to get Kenma's attention, but quiet enough to _not_ get everyone else's, "You're not _actually_ sick, right?" Kenma wanted to say something, tell him that he wasn't sick, just really _really_ needed to pee, but there was no way he was letting everyone wait for him _again._ Adding to that, the gym seemed rather small compared to Nekoma's. Maybe it didn't even have a bathroom he could use. And then he would have to live with everyone knowing he was desperate to pee for the _whole match. _No. He would rather just hold it. After all, it wasn't like he had a weak bladder or anything. It was just his nerves making him feel as though it was worse than it actually was.

It was just a practice match. In the end, everything was going to turn out fine. It always did.

\---

Except, when it didn't. The match had started normally, with Yamamoto shit-talking every player from Karasuno at least twice in the first set. Kuroo got on their nerves with his killer blocks, and Lev’s attempts to look cool ended up being fruitless with all the spikes he messed up during the first few minutes. Kenma felt a little guilty when he realized, that the latter might have had to do something with the accuracy of his tosses and not just Lev being a clutz. He wasn't moving his body more or less than usual, but his concentration, his _game sense,_ normally his biggest weapon, was way off.

"Sorry," he even said one time, when Lev, as eager as always, had jumped higher than he would’ve needed to, but Kenma hadn't been able to get the ball up in time. Lev ended up missing, lost his balance and landed with his absurdly long limbs all tangled up in the net. Kuroo and a few others were snickering at his mishap, and Kenma felt like the most awful person in the world. Sure, Lev didn't get injured and nobody was blaming either of them for the failed spike, it was a practice match after all. Things were supposed to be a little awkward, but definitely not because one of the players, the "brain" of the team, Kuroo often called him, couldn't function because he was only thinking about how bad he needed to pee.

And it _was_ getting bad.

Kenma couldn't believe his eyes whenever he shot a glance at the scoreboard. For some reason, Nekoma was still five points ahead, they weren't losing even though Kenma was far from being in good form. It felt like all the drinks he had consumed since that morning were filtering through his system at an increasingly fast rate. He couldn't even remember ever needing a bathroom _this_ urgently in his life, and if they were at the train station right now, he would have used one of the restrooms there. No matter how disgusting or crowded they were, as long as they had stalls.

But right now, they were in a volleyball match. And he had _never_ seen anyone excuse themselves during a match. Even Lev knew better than disrupting the flow and angering his senpais by requesting a bathroom break when he could have gone before like _everyone else. _Kenma's jaw tensed and when he clenched his hands into fists to ward off one of the stronger urges, his palms were damp with sweat. He really shouldn't think about anything "flowing" right now.

"Need a break?", Kuroo whispered in his ear when the rest of the team was busy getting upset about Karasuno scoring three points in a row, catching up to them with ease. Kenma once again wanted nothing but say _yes please, I want to be switched out so I can go, _and he almost said something like that, because it was _Kuroo_ he was talking to, and Kuroo would never let him down or tell him "no". But then Lev and Inouka had to butt in and he froze up, his tongue tied in a metaphorical knot. Grimacing, he shook his head before staggering back towards his current position at the net, cursing his stupid anxiety.

Sometimes he found it easy to deal with this weird problem he had, considering that he was usually careful about not letting it get _bad_. But today wasn't one of those days. He was lucky, that his team was good despite him messing up so many tosses. Kuroo was still a blocking expert, Yaku’s receiving skills were as good as they’ve always been and the first years, while they made their fair share of mistakes, were extremely motivated to play against their fated rivals. Karasuno in comparison, seemed disorganized, the new quick Hinata had told him about wasn’t working all that well, and it was clear, that they were still experimenting with new techniques. But all of that wasn’t an excuse for Kenma to _suck._

The first set went over quickly with Nekoma winning after a rather sensational comeback. At the break, Kenma almost freaked out when Yaku tossed him a bottle of water because apparently he looked “unwell” and that had to be because of dehydration. _Yeah. Sure._ Instead of losing his mind, however, he took the tiniest sip and threw the bottle back to Yaku, almost hitting him in the head with how much force he used. Hopefully, the apologetic look on his face made up for his lack of self-control.

As always, Lev had to force his presence on him, innocent smile and all, chatting his ear off about all the cool attack combinations they could try in the next set. Kenma was sure, that some of the things Lev suggested weren’t even possible, but he couldn’t just ignore the energetic first year either. He just hoped, that he wouldn’t find out what his problem was because Lev was one of those guys, who would definitely embarrass him in front of not only his team but Karasuno as well. Fortunately, he seemed clueless as always.

It was hard to play volleyball or engage in any kind of physical activity when every move seemed to trigger a spasm of his bladder, and yet, he couldn’t stand _still_. He was a mess of squirmy restlessness, stiff movements, and heavy breathing, every muscle of his body tensed up, but he was still playing. Badly, but he could manage. And as long as he was still somewhat functioning, nobody would have to ask any weird questions. He wouldn’t be forced to speak up and tell everyone, that he was dying for the bathroom, wouldn’t have to _embarrass_ himself like that.

They still had two sets to play. He had to hold it. And he _was_ going to hold it.

\---

Then the second set came. This time, the new quick Shouyou had told him about actually worked. And it worked so well, that the ball flew past their blocker’s hands more than once, disrupting Nekoma’s game and rendering them all speechless every time it happened. Shouyou was grinning at them through the net, Kuroo was cursing, and Kenma...well, Kenma was trying his best to not lose control over his own body after his team had apparently lost control of the match.

His bladder was weighing him down, the waistband of his shorts pressing against the slight bulge in his lower abdomen and _holy shit, _he just wanted to move it out of the way, put his hand down there and grab himself. He wanted it so bad, but he couldn’t. Everyone would look at him and he would die from embarrassment if they did because then they would _know._

It was like the worse he had to go, the more impossible it became for him to muster up the courage to speak up about it. He would have to _admit _how bad it was, and that he wasn’t able to wait even twenty more minutes, and this was different than just casually announcing that he wanted a break out of convenience. He was smart enough to know, that further procrastination wouldn’t help his situation at all, and yet he_ couldn’t spit it out._

But then, when the set ended with Nekoma unsurprisingly losing, Kenma decided that he had been suffering for long enough, embarrassment be damned. Aside from the fact, that his tosses were getting even _worse,_ he didn’t feel like he would be able to keep playing for more than a few minutes. At least not without sacrificing the score to keep himself from wetting his shorts. His nerves were raw, his anxiety already going into overdrive and even though he kept his squirming to a minimum, the mask of indifference he had put on was slowly, but steadily cracking.

He was going to tell Kuroo. He was going to tell Kuroo, that he needed a bathroom _right at this moment and time,_ and that they had to play the third, deciding set without him.

But then, when he had made that final decision to stand up for himself, Kuroo wasn’t even paying attention. Instead, he was bickering with the beanstalk, that was Karasuno’s middle blocker, riling him up and if the other’s face was any indication, he was doing a decent job at it. Kenma just stood there frozen to the spot, gritting his teeth and hoping for once that Kuroo would at least _look_ in his direction. A part of him wanted to walk up to him regardless and tug at his arm like a child to get him to listen, but he wasn’t going to steep that low. He got himself into this situation and now, he was going to face the consequences.

Even if that meant holding it for another twenty minutes.

\---

Kenma had no idea how he had managed to get through the majority of the last set. It must have been a combination of intense willpower, he didn’t even know he was capable of having, fear of being judged if he _did _speak up and embarrassment about how stupid he was to let himself get off so bad in the first place. His eyes were glued to the scoreboard. Only one point and the match would be over. He didn’t even care about the results. He just wanted to get out of that gym and find somewhere to relief himself. He couldn’t think about anything else.

But then, Karasuno went for their attack. Shouyou jumped high up in the air, his palm about to hit the ball from the setter’s toss. Kenma could see everything as clear as if watching a video in slow motion. But then Kuroo was there, reaching his arms out, but only managing to touch it with his fingertips. Everything went silent. The ball was about to fall down right in the center of their side of the court. Kenma’s position. It wasn’t even a hard one to receive, _a textbook example._ If he didn’t get _that ball_, he wouldn’t be able to explain it, wouldn’t be able to make _any _excuses.

Without hesitating another second, Kenma leaped forward with his arms stretched out in front of him, successfully getting the ball up and crashing to the ground the very next second. The moment his knees made contact with the floor, a heavy shiver went through his whole body, his bladder cramping in a way, that made him fear he was going to lose it right there on the spot, just completely break down and pee all over himself and the gym floor.

Blinded by panic, Kenma scrambled to his feet in a frantic motion, refusing to look at anyone before bolting out of the gym, forgetting about the match that was still going on.

\---

He barely made it around the next corner where he slumped against a wall, hands flying down to his crotch, grabbing and squeezing and doing everything he’d longed to do for _hours,_ but had been too embarrassed to even attempt in front of the other players. It took him a full minute until he had calmed down enough to not feel like he was losing control at any second. Beads of sweat were dripping down his face. He still needed to _go. _He couldn’t take it anymore. He had to find a bathroom. _Now._

After straightening up from his hunched over position, he rushed off towards the school building. The chilly air outside bit at his skin and made him shiver, but he couldn’t care less. Once he had entered the hall, he took the first turn left, mind racing with only a single thought. There had to be bathrooms somewhere. Hell, _every _school had bathrooms. It was just a matter of getting there in time before he was going to break under the pressure and do something he didn’t even want to_ imagine_ himself doing.

Kenma actually sighed out in relief when the little blue sign appeared in his vision. _Finally. _He was _saved. _He didn’t have to hold it any longer, didn’t have to stress anymore. But then, when his hand tried to push down the door handle, all of that wishful thinking came crumbling down, the realization crashing over him in hot acidic waves.

_Locked. _It was locked.

Kenma had experienced many disappointments in his life. Like that incident with Lev deleting his save file, leading to him losing over forty hours of game progression, or that one time he was actually hungry for once, but the local bakery in his district was out of his favorite dessert. But never before had he felt like crying as much as he did at this moment. His bladder spasmed in displeasure and a whimper escaped him as he squirmed in place, hand wedged between his clenched thighs. He was so _close_, but so far away at the same time.

He tried pushing again, jolting the door handle in the faint hope, that it was just a bit clunky. Of course, it didn’t work, no matter how hard he yanked and pulled at the thing. Without thinking, he tried the door for the girl’s bathroom right next to it. Still nothing. It wasn’t even budging in the slightest. He gasped, as his bladder contracted painfully, forcing him to double over in front of the closed door, clenching his eyes shut. It seemed as if the view of the bathroom sign was triggering its reflex to empty itself right there on the floor, and he barely kept it from leaking out into his shorts. Panic caused his throat to tighten up, his stomach twisting with nerves.

Just _what _was he going to do now?

“Excuse me?”, a masculine voice suddenly pierced the air of the otherwise quiet and dark hallway. Kenma jumped and looked up in shock, still with his right hand propping himself up on the door handle of the _girl’s bathroom _and the other one holding onto his crotch for dear life. His pulse shot up, heart pounding against his ribcage. The guy who had called him out on his shameful action seemed to be carrying a violin case and Kenma prayed, that it wasn’t that Acchan guy Shouyou always talked about.

_No, don’t be Shouyou’s friend from the music club! Don’t be anyone he knows!_

“I’m sorry, but the bathrooms get closed around that time. It’s pretty late. You’re not from our school, are you?” the violin guy asked, scratching the back of his head and averting his eyes in what must be secondhand embarrassment. What he said made sense, but Kenma still refused to believe him. It couldn’t be true. He couldn’t accept, that it was going to end like this.

“Is there anywhere else?”, he asked, cringing at the desperate tone in his voice, that grew with every word, “I- I mean, are there any other bathrooms? Maybe on the second floor?” The guy raised his eyebrows, apparently surprised that Kenma was, in fact, not a girl. It was the first time since _years,_ that Kenma had actually asked a complete stranger about bathroom locations, but he was _beside himself_ with need. He had to take every information he could get.

“Not as far as I know,” the guy said, before looking Kenma up and down with a sympathetic frown, “But, if I were you, I would just try to find a bush or something. It’s getting dark outside, so it’s not like anyone’s going to be bothered.”

“Thanks,” Kenma muttered, before finally letting go of the door handle, turning on his heel and stumbling off in the opposite direction. _Thanks, but no thanks. _He definitely wasn’t going to pee in some random bushes outside. That just...wasn’t going to happen. He had to find a bathroom, a real one with stalls and _privacy, _and he had to find it before his bladder was actually going to burst. Scrambling out of the school building, he planned to continue his search, but his legs felt wobbly and the pressure had become so unbearable, he didn’t even make it past the stairs.

Whimpering in despair, he allowed himself to fall back onto one of the steps in front of the entrance, pushing his hands between his legs again and softly rocking back and forth. He was already tearing up at that point, but he had to _think. _What other options did he have? He couldn’t get into any of the school bathrooms. He hadn’t seen any inside the gym either, so he would have to wait until he was back at his own school, where he _knew _the bathrooms were always open.

Another shiver went through his bladder and he grabbed himself harder, twisting his legs around his hand. This wasn’t an option at all. He wouldn’t be able to hold it through the train ride. Maybe he could use the bathroom at their first station? They would be able to get there in maybe fifteen minutes if they made it quick. But, how likely was it, that he was able to wait until _then?_ He didn’t feel like he had more than _five minutes. _And five minutes wasn’t a lot of time to get from one place to the other, let alone find a bathroom at a crowded train station.

Kenma was lost in his feelings of desperation and utter hopelessness, when the sounds of steps approaching from afar reminded him, that unfortunately, he wasn’t alone with his shame. He kept his eyes down, hiding the upper half of his face behind his bleached bangs. It had to be a player of his team, who was looking for him after Kenma’s rude escape a few minutes ago. His stomach twisted again and he didn’t even feel like he could move his hands without losing it. Warmth flooded his face and neck, and he just wished for the ground to open up and swallow him whole so that nobody would _ever_ see him like that.

Maybe it was Kuroo. That would be the best option. It wasn’t like Kenma wouldn’t be embarrassed with him around, but Kuroo had been his friend since they were children. They knew everything about each other, and if there was someone he trusted more than anyone, it _had_ to be Kuroo. He wouldn’t judge or laugh at him, maybe even find a way to help. But what if it was Yaku, or Yamamoto or any of the first years? Oh no, what if it was _Lev?_

_“Please don’t be Lev. Oh please, for the love of everything sacred, don’t be Lev!_”

“Kenmaa!”, His heart skipped a beat when he instantly recognized the voice. When he looked up, a blur of black, white and bright orange dashed towards him, coming to a halt just a few meters in front of the step Kenma was sitting on. _Shouyou?_ For a few seconds, the two of them simply stared at each other, until the other took a deep breath and opened his mouth to speak.

“Why did you just run off after that amazing receive?”, he blurted out, eyes shining and Kenma needed a moment to figure out what the hell his friend and current rival was even talking about. But then he remembered the last seconds of the match, where he had still been present. The deflected ball threatening to fall down, how he had acted on instinct alone to get it up again, not wanting his team to lose because he couldn’t handle something _that easy..._and, how he had almost wet himself after his successful dive.

“It wasn’t _amazing,_” Kenma croaked out, still holding himself through the crumbled fabric of his gym shorts, as every breath made his body tremble. He couldn’t see why Shouyou would think anything he did today was worth praising for, with his sloppy tosses, butchered serves, and uncoordinated movements all around. If everyone on his team had played as badly as _he_ did today, the match would have been decided after the second set.

“Yes, of course, it was amazing!”, Shouyou scolded him, gesticulating wildly, “Kuroo tossed the ball to the left like s_wooosh_ and then Lev scored the final point like _baam!_ I never saw you make a receive like that, that was so _cool!_ And even if I’m really mad about us losing, that was still super impressive!”

“Okay,” Kenma forced out, his voice barely louder than a whisper. So Nekoma had actually won that last set? And Lev had scored the winning point? _What?_ His head was spinning with both confusion and frantic desperation. Of course, Shouyou wasn’t exactly good at receiving, so maybe every kind of receive, no matter how amateurish, looked to him like a small miracle. But it wasn’t like Kenma really cared about any of that right now.

“Hey, let’s go back to the gym, okay? Kuroo was worried about you just vanishing all of sudden, and then Lev said you were probably throwing up. They’re _all _worried. Let’s go, and show them you’re alright!”, Shouyou said and before Kenma could wonder, _why_ that moron Lev would even think of making up stories like that, the other had already grabbed his arm and pulled him up to his feet. Kenma actually _squeaked,_ as the sudden increase in gravity along with the jerky movement, caused his bladder to spill over.

“Woah! Kenma? Is something wrong? Did I hurt you?”, Shouyou asked, voice coated with concern, seemingly realizing just now, that something was off. Kenma couldn’t answer, because all of his mental capacity was focused on trying to clench up again, stop the leaking that was drenching the front of his underwear and threatening to seep through the fabric of his gym shorts. His eyes were clenched shut, his heart beating so fast that he feared he was going to pass out. He couldn’t wet himself in front of Shouyou, the one who looked up to him so much. He had so say something. _Anything._

“I need a bathroom!”, Kenma gasped, squirming and shivering after getting the first leak under control after what had felt like a full minute_,_ “They’re all locked. The school bathrooms are _all locked.”_ He wanted to break free from Shouyou’s grip and run, but instead, he grabbed his hand even harder, feeling as if he would tumble to the ground if he didn’t have something to hold onto. His other hand was still buried between his legs and he was sure, that he floodgates would open right away if he didn’t physically push back against it.

“Bathroom?”, Shouyou asked in a high pitched voice, sounding bewildered, “You mean like, peeing? Is that why you ran away? You had to pee?” With every word he said, Kenma died a little inside, his face burning with how freaking _humiliating_ it all was. But in a twisted way, he felt relieved because his secret was finally out. So he nodded, admitting defeat and already expecting Shouyou to ask him, why _the hell_ he didn’t just go before it got that bad, and why he was being such a freaking _baby _about it. Running away from the match like a coward.

“O-Okay, let me think,” Shouyou said instead, fidgeting as if infected by Kenma’s overflowing anxiety, before his face lightened up again, “Oh! I think I know somewhere you could go. It’s not that far. I’ll show you.” He didn’t have to tell him that, because the next moment, he was already running off, dragging Kenma behind him. It was a miracle, that neither of them ended up tripping over a piece of curb or trash on their way to...wherever Shouyou was taking him. Hopefully, another bathroom that _wasn’t_ locked.

\---

When Shouyou finally stopped running, Kenma almost crashed into his back from the momentum, jerking his hand out of the other’s grip to push it between his legs again. The pressure was so heavy, so _violent,_ that he needed both hands to hold himself, and convince his mind, that he was still in control. Breathing heavily from the strain of keeping everything inside for another second, Kenma looked up from his hunched-over position, his eyes frantically scanning the place for a bathroom sign, not caring about whether it was blue or pink.

_There wasn’t any sign. Not even a pink one._

“There...isn’t a bathroom?”, Kenma asked, voice trembling in panic. Looking at it, the place seemed to be some kind of shady corner behind the school’s main building, with bushes, a few puny trees, and more weeds, than he had ever seen in the city. But no bathroom. Not even some kind of porta-potty. _Wait. _Did Shouyou actually expect him to just..._No._ He couldn’t do that. He could never pee outside of a stall. And there wasn’t even anything to _hide_ behind.

“Kenmaa, what are you waiting for?”, Shouyou almost wailed, completely ignoring Kenma’s question about a bathroom “Just go and water one of the trees, nobody ever comes here, I promise! I’ll stay on lockout if you want! Just _go,_ you look like you’re about to burst!”

“I can’t!”, Kenma snapped, grinding his teeth as another spasm almost brought him to his knees, “I can’t go if someone’s watching, I can’t!” He felt ridiculous, giving Shouyou so much trouble, but it was the truth. He froze up whenever he tried to use a _urinal_ for hell's sake, and he had tried_ so many times _before. And he couldn’t with Shouyou right there, knowing that he was about to do what he needed to do so badly and _seeing_ him do it. This was even more mortifying than asking. And yet, the urge was so strong he felt like he could pee under a spotlight if he wanted to, simply because his body was just so ready to fail him at any moment now.

“I’m not watching. I’m just going to look if someone comes,” Shouyou tried to encourage him, squirming around almost as much as Kenma did, eyes glazed over with worry, “I won’t look at you at all, just please go, I don’t want you to _die!” _If Kenma hadn’t been the victim here, he would have laughed. Pretty sure, you couldn’t die from having to pee. Unless his bladder actually did burst, and medical accuracy aside, the mental image was frightening enough.

He had to at least try_. _He couldn’t hold it anymore, and there wasn’t any other _option._

“Okay, move aside! And don’t look!”, he said, staggering past Shouyou and pulling down the front of his shorts before he even got out of view, too desperate to care about _anything_ anymore. The second he was positioned in front of the largest tree, a trickle escaped, even without his conscious decision to let go, hitting the leaves of the scrubs beneath with an embarrassingly loud pattering sound. Kenma whimpered because his muscles were so cramped up, it took them a few seconds to fully relax. But once they did, there was no holding back.

Within no time, the dam broke, and he was going as if someone had turned on a faucet on full blast. Kenma was startled by the intensity of the flow, how everything was just rushing out on its own, splashing against the trunk of the tree and pooling up on the ground. For a moment, he couldn’t believe what was happening. He had always _avoided_ those kinds of situations like the pest, figuring, that he would get way too anxious, too jittery to even attempt peeing outside of a bathroom. But now he was doing it. And even though his ears were still ringing with embarrassment, it felt _amazing._

He sighed, head in the clouds and _panting_ as his knees turned weak, the sound completely drown out by the noise of liquid loudly splattering onto the ground. He was probably getting tons of splashback that way, but he didn’t have it in him to slow down. He was almost sure, that he _couldn’t,_ even if he tried to. Apparently, his bladder was so fed up with being forced to hold every ounce of liquid inside for so long, that it wanted to push out everything at once.

Kenma could only breathe out in relief, legs quivering as the powerful gush weakened after a while, his bladder deflating under his hands The painful pressure was gone and replaced by a slight soreness, that almost felt pleasurable compared to what he had been suffering before. Closing his eyes to savor the moment, he finished with a shiver, the last trickle ebbing off and dripping onto the earth below.

When he glanced down at the puddle, that hadn’t completely soaked into the ground yet, Kenma found it hard to believe, that a single person could even pee that much. But well, he had been at his limit after all, and he wasn’t exactly known for having a small bladder. As absurd as it was, the sheer _amount_ almost made him feel a bit proud of himself, at least until he remembered all the stupidly embarrassing things he had done, that led up to this moment. And worst of all, the fact, that Shouyou was _still there,_ waiting for him to finish.

_And all that, because he had let himself be distracted by a video game..._

Kenma wasted no time to adjust his clothes, cringing at the damp, slightly cold feeling of his underwear and stepped away from the tree. His face was on fire, and he was sure, that he would never be able to look Shouyou in the eye ever again. Not after doing something like _that_ on the grounds of a school, he didn’t even _go to._ Kenma didn’t realize how ironic his concern was until he spotted Shouyou standing a few meters away from Kenma and the tree the latter had just “watered”, or “flooded” rather. Shouyou was facing the opposite direction, back straight like a soldier, arms raised, and...was he seriously _covering his eyes?_

Kenma had expected to feel miserable about all of this because there was _no way_ he wouldn’t. But at this sight, a chuckle erupted from his chest so sudden, he had to actually press his wrist to his mouth to not break into a full-on laughing fit. Shouyou lowered his hands and looked back at him in confusion. Through broken laughter, Kenma explained why it was so funny to him, how Shouyou was standing there, looking like a kid playing hide and seek. Not to mention, that staying on lookout was rather difficult with your eyes closed.

“Well, you’ve told me not to look,” Shouyou said sheepishly, “So I made sure I wasn’t going to do it on accident,” Kenma couldn’t help but smile at his innocent explanation, and then Shouyou smiled back, lighting up the world around them. The fact that he could say all of that without even a hint of judgment or mocking was honestly amazing. It didn’t change the fact, that this whole situation was embarrassing in every possible way, but at least it helped him not feel like crap. Apparently, Shouyou always found a way to make things better, whether it was on the volleyball court, in a video game or anywhere else.

Kenma was about to leave the place, ready to push the whole incident to the back of his mind and never think about it again, but Shouyou wasn’t making his move yet. For some reason, he was still looking towards the greenery, frowning a little and shifting his weight on his feet. Kenma feared, that he would come up with some weird thing to say after all, but instead, Shouyou just turned back around to him with the tiniest blush on his face.

“Um...do you mind switching places with me for a minute?”, he asked, fiddling with the waistband of his own shorts before realizing, that Kenma had no idea what he was implying, “I have to pee, too. I almost forgot because the match was so exciting, but I’ve had to go for a while. You just...uh..._reminded me_.” The way he said it in such a casual tone completely floored Kenma, but it wasn’t like he hadn’t done the same thing literally moments ago, so he simply shrugged. Apparently, anxiety wasn’t the only thing that was contagious.

“Should I...cover my eyes or-”, Kenma asked awkwardly, not really knowing how to act, but even before he could finish his sentence, Shouyou had already stormed off to the trees. If Kenma could believe his own ears, he had no issue peeing there, as if it was the most normal thing in the world for him. And, knowing Shouyou, it probably _was._

\---

The walk back to the gym, fortunately, wasn’t as awkward as Kenma had expected it to be. Quite the opposite. Shouyou was smiling all the way through, bouncing in his step and giving him a rundown of the match and every cool thing that had happened in it, so basically everything from start to finish. Kenma could only be grateful, not for the information itself, but the fact, that Shouyou was talking to him normally, neither coddling him nor questioning his, admittedly strange attitude about bathrooms and bodily functions in general. Though Shouyou _did_ mention, that it hadn’t been the first time he’d had to make use of that “place” himself.

At one point, Kenma told him about his new video game to change the topic to something less embarrassing, and Shouyou was just as eager to talk about that. Sadly, they couldn’t really play it in multiplayer, since Shouyou only had an old laptop and no psp. But they still had their online games and discord, so they would stay in contact, no matter how many miles their teams were apart.

\---

Once they actually got back to the gym, both the players from Nekoma _and_ Karasuno were all over them in an instant, circling them like pushy uncles at a family gathering. Kuroo pulled Kenma into a bear hug and made a weirdly big deal about not having paid enough attention to him during the match. Karasuno’s scary setter was yelling at Shouyou for some reason, and all in all, it was a bit too much action for someone like Kenma.

“What happened? We wanted to celebrate our win and then you were just..._gone?_ What the hell?”, Yamamoto asked, making Kenma flinch with how loud he was yelling into his ear. Yaku and Kuroo both glared at their wing spiker, before asking Kenma the same question, though in a less abrasive tone. Of course, the whole topic with him being sick and throwing up had to come up again, complete with questions if he had caught some kind of nasty virus from any of the Nohebi kids. Kuroo was _still _salty about that last match.

“Guys, Kenma is fine. He’s not sick,” Shouyou barged in, and for a moment, Kenma’s stomach clenched with dread at the idea of his friend telling everyone, that the “brain” of Nekoma had to leave the match in its dying moments to pee on a tree outside.

“We just had to...um...take care of something together. Nothing serious. Won’t happen again,” Shouyou continued with an innocent smile and Kenma breathed out a heavy sigh of relief. His friend was known to never make a big deal out of things, but he also knew when it was better to be a little more subtle. Yaku furrowed his brows, obviously not all that pleased with the answer he got. The same could be said for the rest of the team, including the coach, but they all knew better than to probe for details. As long as Kenma was fine, and he really _was_ fine, they didn’t have any reason to worry or ask any weird or invasive questions.

_Well…_

_Except for one idiot._

“Did you two have sex or what?” Lev blurted out, yelping when Yaku promptly kicked his rear end. Yamamoto’s roaring laughter echoed through the gym and Kuroo was still holding onto Kenma’s shoulder, hands fisting into the fabric of his shirt. From his facial expression alone, Kenma figured that he was contemplating murder. Everyone was freaking out for one reason or another, and the players from Karasuno looked more confused than ever. That was _not_ how their practice match was supposed to end, but _well,_ it had been one of those days...

With the rest of his social energy drained, Kenma slipped out of Kuroo’s embrace and shuffled towards the changing room, more than ready to get out of his sweaty clothes and take a hot shower. He would text Shouyou later when he got home, about the video game and everything else.

\---

It was already late, the sky outside was pitch black and the only sound that reached Kenma’s ears was the rattling of the train, aside from Yamamoto loudly snoring a few seats across. As always, Kenma was sitting or rather slouching next to Kuroo, wrapped up in a thick blanket with his sports bag at his feet. The train had just departed and they still had quite a lot of time, before they would arrive at their station in Tokyo. Now, that he wasn’t distracted by his bladder anymore, Kenma remembered all too well what had brought him into this situation in the first place.

With a huff, he reached down to dig up his playstation, switched it on and checked his save file. It was still there, untouched and left at the quest he had started hours ago. After he clicked through the menu while struggling to keep his eyes open, a notification popped up. The battery was only at 10 %. Kenma squinted at the flashy screen and sighed in annoyance. That wasn’t nearly enough to finish the quest, and he wasn’t looking forward to starting it all over again just because his console died in the middle of a battle.

Kuroo must have noticed what was wrong because even before Kenma could ask, he was already holding a charging cable, complete with attached power bank up to his face. Kenma looked at his best friend, smiled in appreciation for his generosity, before switching the game off and stuffing the device back into his bag. Yawning, he rubbed at his eyes before leaning over to rest his head on Kuroo’s shoulder and pulling the blanket up to his chin.

“Tired?”, Kuroo asked with a hint of amusement in his voice. Kenma nodded. All the energy drinks in the world couldn’t make up for a few hours of sleep. His thoughts were already drifting off, eyelids heavy, and he didn’t feel like he would be able to concentrate on dungeon exploration and battling dragons with five heads and a spinning fireball for a tail right now. Maybe it really was better to listen to his body for once. The game could wait.

After all, the next installment wouldn’t come out for another four years...


End file.
